Tilt rail support for venetian blinds



Aug. 10, 1954 J. c. BENNETT 2,685,922

TILT RAIL SUPPORT FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed 001;. 12, 1948 zzvmvron. Jim/Es C BEN/V577,

Patented Aug. 10, 1954 2,685,922 TILT RAIL SUPPORT FORQVENETIAN BLINDS James 0. Bennett, Inglewood, Calif., assignor to Anderson Die Casting & Engineering Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 12, 1948, Serial No. 54,001

. 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to Venetian blinds; more particularly the invention relates to a supple- .mentary supporting device for the tiltv rail of longitudinally spaced relation therealong.

The slats are arranged to be raised and lowered as by cords attached to the bottom slatalong the center thereof respectively adjacent the ends, passing upwardly from the bottom slat through clearance openings in the intermediate slats, and

adjustably suspended from the top of the blin d.

The top bar or tilt rail is'supportedby. aheader secured in the window'opening iorangular or tilting movement about a longitudinal.axis,such movement being imparted to'theslats to vary the transverse inclination or tilt thereof by means of the ladder tapes. V n

To maintain the tilt rail, as well as the slats against sagging, it is customary on wideblinds to provide one or more supports intermediate the ends of the rail, supplementing the support provided at the ends. As is well understood, it is desirable that the means for supporting the tilt rail be simple and easily installed by the manufacturer, with a minimum of cutting or other a rail support. For example,'a bracket adapted for mounting on the tilt ra'il 'and providing an arcuate flange curved about'tlie axis of therail as a center, and suspended by a horizontal finger or piece suspended below the header, has not been entirely satisfactory. Thus, it made installation and removal of the tilt rail diflicult, and l.

in angular positions substantially differing from horizontal, introduced s'uflici'ent lateral jorce to cause binding'so that the tilt rail works stiflly and noisely.

Another type comprised an arcuate metallic strip instead of the bracket. This does not satisfactorily support the rail, since it is not accurately curved about the axis of the rail as a center,

and is difiicult to install as well as noisy when adjusted.

2 required a deep cut in the rail for the installation of the bracket which seriously weakens the rail and increases the cost. Furthermore, the installation and removal of the rail is difficult.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved intermediate tilt rail support for Venetian blinds.

It is another object of this invention to provide an intermediate tilt rail support of low cost, which may be installed in a simple manner and without cutting the rail, which will not cause distortion of the rail as the tilt is altered, and which permits easy removal and replacement of the blind for cleaning, repair or other purposes.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an intermediate tilt rail support comprising a flexible supporting band and having novel means for attaching the band to the header so that it is securely retained against accidental detachment but may be readily detached and reattached when desired.

This invention possesses many other advantages and has other objects which may be. made more easily apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed. description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

.In' the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a Venetian blind incorporating the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section and on an enlarged scale, showing the intermediate tilt rail support;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken substantially as indicated by line 33 on Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective showing one element of the support mounting means; M

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section similar to Figure 3 on a further enlarged scale, showing the manner of mounting the support; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing different adjusted positions of the tilt rail.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 shows a conventional Venetian blind, partly broken away and the lower portion omitted to reduce the size of the figure. The header which supports the entire blind structure is indicated by the numeral l and is adapted to be secured to the frame (not shown) of the window or other opening. The tilt rail 2 comprises a member of elongated cross section suspended below the header I for angular movement about a horizontal axis by brackets 3 and 4 adjacent its opposite ends respectively. One of these brackets, for instance the one marked 3, is: arranged to oscillate the rail 2 in a known manner in response to manipulation of the tilt cords The slats l are suspended from the tilt rail 2 by a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of ladder tapes 8-. Each ladder tape 8 comprises a front tape 8-a and a back tape 8b respectively, secured to the opposite edges of the tilt rail 2 and joined by crosspieces 8-0 on which the slats l rest. Thus, when the rail 2 is tilted about its axis, the slats I are caused to assume a corresponding inclination.

To prevent sagging of the tilt rail 2 due to this Weight, and sagging or" the slats i as well as difficulty of tilt adjustment caused by the resulting cramping of the support pintl'es in the brackets 3 and i, one or more supports it are provided' for the tilt rail intermediate the. ends thereof;

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support 55 comprises a flexible element it, which may for example be a piece of canvas tape of appropriate width and thickness, arranged to. form a loop about the tilt rail 2, with a portion extending transversely below the tilt rail 2: and slidingly engaging the lower surface or surfaces thereof. The opposite ends of the flexible element It are secured in spaced relation to the under side of the header 1, above the opposite sides of the tilt rail. By appropriate. choice of the length of the element or" strap it and the spacing of its points of attachment to the header l, the tilt: rail 2 may be turned from the horizontal positions, of Figure 3' through approximately 90 in either direction without any substantial shift or" the axis of rotation and consequent'distortionoi the rail 2,. as clearly shown in Figure 6.

Hook and eye members l2? and I6: are provided for respectively attaching the ends of the strap E6 to the header I. The hook member I? comprises a formed metal plate 20 with a trough like-hook portion 2 I at each end, and secured to the underside of the header as. by: screws 22. The free edge. 2'l-a of the hook portions 2 I: being spaced a short distance: below the header to provide therewith a slot 23' of limited width for passage of the eye member 48' (see Figure. 5 into and out of engagement: with the hook.

Each eye member it (see Figure 4).- comprises a body 2 formed of suitable plate; material having a: pair of oppositely directed; transverse: extensions M-a with serrated edges adapted to be clinch-ed over the end: portion of the strap It securing the eye member to the strap. The body 24 also extends beyond the end? of the tape [6 to provide an elongated opening or eye 24-b adapted to freely accommodate the hook 2 I and spaced from, the free end of the member [8 by a bar 25 having a width substantially greater than the thickness of the body material.v

The arrangement is such that, as clearly shown by the broken lines in Figure 5, with the eye member l8 positioned almost horizontal, the bar 25 is presented edge on to the slot 23, and thus can pass readily into the hook 2|, the hook entering the eye 24-12 as the member [8 is swung downwardly; Since the-bar 25 is wider than the slot 23, the eye member 18' cannot be disengaged from the hook unless swung upwardly to presen the inner edge of bar 25 to the slot 23.

I claim:

1. A supplemental support for a Venetian blind tilt rail of elongated cross section mounted at its ends for angular movement about the longitudinal axis thereof, comprising a flexible, nonform retaining loop to maintain continuous contact with said tilt rail suspended by said loop; and mounting means including fastening elements at the ends thereof for detachably connecting the ends of said loop to a support from which saidti-l-t rail is suspended, the distance between the points of attachment of the ends of said loop to said fastening elements being slightly less than the width of said tilt rail when said rail is disposed in the horizontal position to permit said rail to move in sliding contact relative to said strap upon angular movement of said rail.

2; A supplemental support for a Venetian blind tilt rail of elongated cross section mounted at its ends for angular movement about a longitudinal axis thereof, comprising a flexible, nonform-retaining loop to maintain continuous contact with said tilt rail suspended by said loop, hook means at the ends of said loop, and mounting means including fastening elements at' the ends thereof for detachably' connecting the hook means at the ends of said loop to a support from which said tilt rail is suspended, the distance be tween the points of attachment of the ends of said loop to said fastening elements being slightly less than the width of said tilt rail when said rail is in the horizontal position and to permit said rail on tilting to move in sliding contact relative to said strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

